Chisinau, for most of its history, was an idyllic provincial town with very rare significant events and a sleepy atmosphere. But in 1820 something happened that put Chisinau on the map, at least on the map of Alexander’s Pushkin life, because he was sentenced to a 3-year exile to Chisinau.

The Russian poet was exiled for his sarcastic poems about the government, and this trip and his later residence in Chisinau not only became his first trip outside of the core of Russia, it also gave him a lot of impressions, which led to a boom of creativity and numerous traces in his poems, the most evident being “The gypsies”.

This museum is dedicated to this 3-year period of Pushkin’s life. It’s located in a house where the poet lived some of his time in exile. But in fact, it is also the last remaining example of “old Chisinau”, and for me it is the only place where you can still feel the breath of history, as in many other corners of Chisinau, old buildings are neglected and demolished, but this house and court still resist, despite the ugly blocks surrounding it.

It is also a special place for me, as I graduated Chisinau’s Pushkin lyceum and it is a tradition that all pupils have their initiation ceremony held here.